Author: Dana Babineau Burns

Kelsey Wilson is an artist from Orleans, Ontario. She is now based out of Montreal where she recently completed a Bachelor of Fibres at Concordia University. She works mainly in sculpture and illustration, getting inspiration from plants, old medical photos, reflections on city buildings, people’s hands, animals and her dreams.

Last week, she collaborated with Jennifer Glasgow to make the window display for General 54, using concrete. Go check it out!

Kelsey: For my sculptures, I like to work with different yarns and fabrics with crazy textures. Anything with glitter or funky bobbles usually comes home with me. I am drawn to material contrasts; so I tend to incorporate some steel or wood or anything rough or gloopy to offset the fuzzy craft-like element found in my sculptures. For my illustrations, I don’t stray too far from my microns, copic markers, and watercolours. […]

I am always very open to working with new mediums because it forces my work to transform into something unexpected. I have always been curious about how things are made so learning to quilt and knit led to my interest in textiles. I was pretty broke and bored during university so I started doing some experimental knitting with elastic bands, plants, and other random fibrous things around me….Curiosity is beautiful and definitely one of the most important aspects of art and life.

Hanging

Assorted hand-knit yarns, twine, chain, elastic bands

54″ x 84″

2014

When I asked Kelsey what’s up next, she told me she wants to get back in to sculpture again. She’s been doing a lot of drawing and misses the ‘slow, tactile process of building’.

Ariane Fairlie is a visual artist and free-lance writer living in Montreal. She recently completed a Fine Arts degree at Concordia University.

Artist Statement: “Ariane is concerned with concepts of observation and realism. She enjoys the inconsistencies that are the result of translating three dimensions into two. They create a beautiful and dynamic realism, different from what can be accomplished with a two-dimensional reference image. She’s interested in the technical challenges of textures, colours, light, and form. She tries to evoke emotion and character in her ‘Clothing Portraiture’, and believes clothing as a subject is a universally relatable theme, unless you’re a very dedicated nudist. Her aim is to create artwork that is honest and vulnerable, bold and fun, and have the viewer recognize something of themselves and the human experience in each piece.”

Tereza Tacic is a Serbian artist from Vancouver. She is currently living in Mile End, in Montreal, and completing a BFA in Studio Arts with a minor in Art History at Concordia University.

Artist Statement: “Her work evolves around a conceptual acronym she entitled “@” (A.A.T.). She explores the conversation that exists between the organic human individual and art history, architecture, and technology.”

Her latest piece, Neither, combines textiles and robotics.

Tereza : “Neither explores the conversation between two materials that are commonly and unfairly gendered by combining traditionally feminine craft materials such as felt and yarn, with pneumatic pistons that are regarded as masculine machinery. The piece creates a sense of confusion for the viewer due to its gender ambiguity/androgyny. The felt is no longer “cute” due to the noise and movement of the pistons, and the mechanical structure is no longer as cold or frightening due to the fibre material. It forces the viewer to think past a binary system of either one or the other. The rhythmic nature of the pistons together with the movement of the felt makes the work seem like an autonomous being. Something that is neither here nor there, but still fully present.”

If you’d like to see more of her work,

“…I just moved into a studio on my own for ceramics and I am hoping to be able to experiment more, which ultimately means learning more, and pushing my ceramic work to a new level,” says Mérida.

Mérida Anderson is a multidisciplinary queer artist from Vancouver. They primarily work in ceramics, but explore many other mediums such as illustration, animation, music and fashion design. In 2004, they completed a fashion arts certificate program at VVC. Mérida – Since I was a kid I have always been creating one thing or another, be it a barn for my model horses out of chop sticks when i was 8 to sewing a shape I cut out of fabric that I thought “looked” like it could turn into pants. Currently, the artist has a line of clothing and porcelain jewelry that they have just launched, entitled YYY (www.yyycollection.com). They also orchestrate the Vegan Secret Supper Club, which has been running since 2007.

Mérida has always been drawn to clay because their grandparents were potters. However, it was not until the artist moved to New York that they started to immerse themself in the medium. Mérida – I don’t do much research and learn things with my experimentation. So inspiration usually comes from the organic process of doing. I just start doing from one idea, of texture or colour or one shape and it evolves from that.The direction of wearable pieces was an easy transition from my background in fashion arts and running my own clothing line.

Though they work in many different mediums, the pieces will often take on similar themes as they reflect the artists’ inspiration and interests at the time. Mérida – Sometimes I find that my plating of dishes when I cook for my supper club Vegan Secret Supper look a bit like the paintings I might be doing or the designs I’m painting on my ceramics at the time, for example. I make jewelry from ceramics that I will make clothing to fit for a photoshoot, then make dishes that I serve with at supper club, along with photos I take of the food that go in the book of recipes I wrote for VSS (Vegan Secret Supper : Bold and Elegant Menus from a Rogue Kitchen from Arsenal Pulp Press). All connected in a long string (that sometimes has knots).

The Vegan Secret Supper Club was started in Vancouver and has since followed Mérida to New York, and Montreal. Mérida – It started as an experiment in community eating and environment. Usually, these suppers take place in Mérida’s home, other people’s homes or in other small spaces. Mérida makes these all-vegan meals in house, where they have curated their space specifically for VSS.

“I would also like to expand my house ware line and push into clothing as well since designing the clothing for the YYY jewelry collection photoshoot,” says Mérida.

Jennifer Glasgow Design was founded in 2003, here in Montreal. In the now twelve years (yay!) we’ve been running- at full speed, might I add- our team of employees has grown, as well as our production. Jennifer Glasgow has formed a tight family of talented and devoted people to cater to Montreal’s (and the rest of Canada’s) desire for equitable clothing. Her locally-made line is sophisticated and striking: perfect for a professional woman of any age looking to stand out. Below, you can read a bit about the amazing team she has assembled, a true testament to her exceptional character. But first! Here’s her story:

Jennifer Glasgow, Designer

She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1995, Jennifer moved to Montreal “for a boy,” she says.

She first became interested in fashion because of a Madonna video she saw when she was 13, “Like a Virgin, and she (Madonna) had a black dress with cut out sides,” Jennifer told me, “I told my mom I wanted to make that dress and she bought me a Simplicity pattern and said go for it, try to make that dress. It looked nothing like the dress but from that point on, I was hooked.”

Her first job in the fashion industry was sewing hockey gloves, here in Montreal. She worked for a small company who re-palmed NHL gloves, and repaired jockstraps. Jennifer – …which they made me do, while laughing and snickering at me. It was …hilarious (cue sarcasm). She also had a couple of partnerships in art/fashion companies that were short lived but lots of fun.

Jennifer Glasgow Design was established in 2003 when she opened Local 23. Jennifer – Back then, it was VERY DIY. Everything was made in the back store where piles of fabric would droop over my head and the smell of a musty basement would almost permeate the clothing. Not the best environment to work in. However, it was a start. In 2006, she opened General 54 and JGD started to sell across Canada. They needed to grow into a more productive company, which is when they started to hire and outsource some of their work. Now, she says, “I have a great team in the studio and wonderful people working outside our office helping to produce the line.”

When she’s not designing and running her multiple businesses, Jennifer’s favourite thing in the whole world is to go to Timmins with Dan, her partner. Jennifer – We go to forests where you can go for miles and never see another human. We go fishing and lie on rocks in the sun, summer or winter. She also loves painting, meeting cats in the back lane ( or anywhere) and digging through vintage sales.

Her style: “When I have time to think about what I am wearing, I would say my style is boyish with a love of print. I like to mix colours and prints. I like to laugh at myself so I try to play with my comfort zone,” Jen says. “I wear dark colours because I can’t stay clean, I wear lots of scarves because Dan has a great collection. I wear thick eyeliner because I can’t keep my hand still to apply a thin line. I like wedges because I am short and I feel safer than if I were to wear a heel.”

Jennifer Glasgow Design would not be possible without Jennifer’s right-hand-man, Dan:

Dan Lacroix, Accountant

(photo by J. Glasgow)

Dan is from Timmins, Ontario, or as he calls it: “city with a heart of gold and home of Shania Twain”.

He moved to Montreal in the summer of 2004, practically in front of Olimpico and has been in the mile end ever since.

He manages the finances, accounting and cashflow for JGD. He also helps with the long term planning and everything on the business side of the company. Dan – I keep the talent train on the right track and make sure the wheels don’t burn off. On the design side of things, I pick the wrong colours and like the wrong fabrics.

His first job in Montreal was in the fashion industry. He was an “assistant comptroller” (his fancy title for assistant to the main accountant that was working there at the time). He worked there for about a year, and didn’t think he would end up in fashion again. Dan – You think I would have learned my lesson the first time. He says it gave him a head start on understanding how the business worked and helped him figure out some of the places they needed to take JGD.

In his spare time, Dan likes fishing with whoever, golf with his boys, camping with Jen, playing records solo and anytime while partying, biking around with his friend Louise, and getting out and being active at anyone’s cottage around. Dan – I like to make things happen.

His style: Dan says: “I used to wear a lot of blues and browns. Still do. Most days my style is kinda simple. Jeans and a dress shirt. I’ve bounced around with the blazers\hoodies in the fall, I’ve also been seen with a skinny tie from time to time. I like to find one thing to make my outfit stick out a bit. I always try to be just a bit different but sometimes I get lazy. When I do try though, it’s almost more fun because it’s less often. Given the right occasion and the right mood, steez can get pretty funky with a old vintage suit, weird stuff I found or a classy hat.”

In our studio, we also have four lovely ladies working alongside Jennifer Glasgow. From the first sketch that is drawn to the final distribution of a garment, our team works together to keep everything running smoothly.

Michelle, Assistant Designer

Michelle is from Aylmer, Québec. She’s been with JGD for 4 months. She likes thrift-shopping; hunting for treasures and giving pre-loved clothes a second life. She also likes cats.

“I’ve always been attracted by the artistic/creative side of fashion, and as a means of self-expression. Once I got into this side of the industry, I discovered a lot about the values attached to small-scale local design. I now feel that I find myself in a meaningful place inside the big world of fashion”, says Michelle.

Hannah, Seamstress

Hannah is from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She’s been with us for just over a year. In her spare time, she works on her own line Isolde (www.hannahgoodman.ca), sold at Général 54. She also takes photos and is currently trying to keep several plants alive.

“After graduating in 2013 from NSCAD University with a BFA majoring in Textiles/Fashion, I moved to Montreal for an internship with JGD. I have since continued working there as well as with several other locally based fashion designers”, says Hannah.

Her style: “Monochromatic. Red lipstick.”

Dana, Warehouse Manager

Dana is from Montréal, Québec. She has been at JGD for 5 years. When she’s not working in the studio, she’s working on her music. She plays guitar and sings, and tries to write a few songs now and then. But, most of her time, she says, is spent consuming music.

Dana has always been interested in the confection of clothing: she’s made costumes for various theatre and dance shows, and likes taking old garments apart and turning them into something new… Before joining us, she completed an internship in the costume department of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, assisting the director. Now, at JGD, she takes care of the inventory and makes sure all of our stock stays organized.

Her style: “Fickle. I switch it up as often as possible. The only recurring theme: weird patterns.”

Victoria, Marketing Intern

Victoria is from Gatineau, Québec. She has just finished a five-week internship at JGD but will soon be joining our Général 54 team. Being new to Montréal, she likes to walk around and explore the city. Victoria is in her last year in fashion marketing at Marie-Victorin college. Soon, she will be jumping into the industry, full-time!

Working in fashion design, you realize quickly that an infrastructure of seamstresses, cutters and patternmakers is essential to your business. We have finally convinced these pillars of our industry to come out from behind the curtains and allow us to introduce them to you! A series of photographs featuring all the wonderful people who make Jennifer Glasgow Design possible, taken by our own Hannah Goodman, is currently on display at our boutique.

Chenda

seamstress

Chenda is from Cambodia.

She single-handedly sews many of our styles in her home studio!

Miu

seamstress

Miu is from China.

Her and her staff help us produce many of our styles in their studio

just downstairs from Jennifer Glasgow Design!

Sina

seamstress

Sina is from Cambodia.

Like Chenda and Miu, she sews many of the styles for our collection.

Manon

gradation

Manon is from Quebec.

She does the gradation for our collection:

using the dress patterns that we make, she calculates

how many meters of fabric we need for each style. And in preparation for the cutting,

she decides on the best placement of each piece of the pattern that will allow for the least waste of fabric.

Voici Kate.

Meet Vanessa.

(photo from Nightlife)

She’s been with us for about 3 months!

Vanessa was born in Cochrane, in northern Ontario, but grew up in Ottawa.

She’s in her last year of university at McGill in education. This semester, she’s doing an internship at FACE elementary school. Besides that, she occasionally bartends and dabbles in a bit of everything: “I write, read, sing, dance, cook, run, hang, travel, sneeze, bike, do bendy yoga moves and sleep.”

Her style: “a mix of vintage, punk, comfortable, and black. I wear ALOT of black. Moreso in the winter than any other season. Don’t get me wrong, I love a splash of colour or a funky pattern here n there, but a comfortable black garment is what I slide into best.”